A mother cat is a calico, with orange, black, and white fur. She has three kittens—an orange female, a black and orange female, and a black female. Did she reproduce sexually or asexually? Choose the option that has the best evidence to support your choice
A. Sexually, because cats are multicellular, and multicellular organisms typically reproduce sexually.
B. Sexually, because each kitten looks different than the mother, which is a sign of genetic variation due to sexual reproduction.
C. Asexually, because all of her kittens are females like her, which occurs with asexual reproduction.
D. Asexually, because all of her kittens have the same colors as her, because they only inherited her genes.
B. Sexually, because each kitten looks different than the mother, which is a sign of genetic variation due to sexual reproduction.
The best evidence to support the choice of the mother cat reproducing sexually is option B. This is because each kitten looks different from the mother, indicating genetic variation due to sexual reproduction. In sexual reproduction, offspring inherit a combination of genes from both parents, resulting in variation in traits and characteristics. Since the kittens have different coat colors from the mother, it suggests that they inherited genetic material from both the mother and another male cat.
The best evidence to support the choice in this scenario would be option B. Sexually, because each kitten looks different than the mother, which is a sign of genetic variation due to sexual reproduction.
By observing that the mother cat and her kittens have different fur color patterns, we can infer that there is genetic variation among them. This variation in coat color is a result of the mixing of genes from both the mother cat and the father during sexual reproduction.
In sexual reproduction, offspring inherit a combination of genes from both parents, resulting in variations in traits. The fact that the kittens have different fur colors compared to the mother indicates that they inherited genetic material from another individual, likely a male cat that carried the genes for their particular coat colors.
On the other hand, option D suggesting asexual reproduction is not supported by the observed genetic variation in coat color. Asexual reproduction typically involves the offspring being genetically identical or very similar to the parent, as they only inherit the genes of the parent. Since the kittens' fur colors differ from the mother's, it indicates that the kittens have genetic contributions from both parents, which is a characteristic of sexual reproduction.
Therefore, the most reasonable conclusion based on the evidence provided is that the mother cat reproduced sexually.